The HorrorBabble Podcast

"The Horla" / A Classic Horror Story by Guy de Maupassant

"The Horla" is an 1887 horror story by French author, Guy de Maupassant. In the tale, a man is haunted by an invisible presence, an entity with attributes and motivations beyond his capability to comprehend.

"Dark Mummery" / A Haunted House Story by Thorp McClusky

"Dark Mummery" is a short story by the American author, Thorp McClusky. It first appeared in Weird Tales in November 1944, and was given the following synopsis: "Beware of a 'reputedly' haunted house. The reputation may be well earned."

"A Hunger Artist" by Franz Kafka

"A Hunger Artist" (German: "Ein Hungerkünstler") is a short story by Franz Kafka first published in Die neue Rundschau in 1922. The story was also included in the collection A Hunger Artist (Ein Hungerkünstler), the last book Kafka prepared for publication, printed by Verlag Die Schmiede after Kafka's death. The protagonist, a hunger artist who experiences the decline in appreciation of his craft, is an archetypical creation of Kafka: an individual marginalized and victimized by society at large. The title of the story has been translated also to "A Fasting Artist" and "A Starvation Artist".

"The Silver Coffin" / A Weird Tale of Vampirism by Robert Barbour Johnson

"The Silver Coffin" by American author, Robert Barbour Johnson, first appeared in Weird Tales Magazine back in January 1939. The story tells of an ancient, metal coffin, and the legend surrounding what lies within.

"In Amundsen's Tent" by John Martin Leahy

"In Amundsen's Tent" is a short story by American writer, John Martin Leahy. It first appeared in Weird Tales in January 1928. Highly reminiscent of "The Thing", the tale tells of a horrifying discovery in the wilds of Antarctica.

"The Hand" by Guy de Maupassant

"The Hand" is a short story written in 1883 by French author, Guy de Maupassant. The story centres around the death of an Englishman, who kept a severed hand attached to the wall of his drawing room.

"The Malice of Inanimate Objects" by M. R. James

"The Malice of Inanimate Objects" is a short work by British author, M. R. James, first published in the magazine The Masquerade, June 1933. The work explores a rather interesting and unusual idea: the notion that 'inanimate objects' are out to harm us, in a variety of ways.

"The Hall Bedroom" / A Classic Ghost Story by Mary E. W. Freeman

"The Hall Bedroom" is a short story by American author, Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman. It's the tale of a peculiar room in a boarding house, told through the journal entries of a missing boarder.

"Masquerade" by Mearle Prout

"Masquerade" is the third published tale by the mysterious author, Mearle Prout (author of THE HOUSE OF THE WORM). This one, which appeared in WT in February 1937, was described by the magazine as follows: “A brief tale of a struggle against stark horror in a lantern-lit garden.”

"The Ensouled Violin" / A Russian Horror Story by Helena Blavatsky

"The Ensouled Violin" is a work of horror fiction by Russian occultist and Theosophy founder, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. In great depth, the story explores the relationship between man and music, and the enduring concept of entering into a bargain with the devil to achieve mastery of a musical instrument.